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The first book to bring readers deep inside a top mixed martial arts gym, Beast shows exactly what it takes to reach the top of this exacting sport. Doug Merlino spent two years at Florida's American Top Team, living, eating, and training alongside some of the world's best fighters, and traveled with them to fights around the world. The result is the most unvarnished look at the sport yet, with its electrifying highs and devastating lows. For both the uninitiated and for hardcore fans, Beast offers an intense journey into an often misunderstood world.

Doug Merlino received master's degrees in journalism and international affairs from the University of California at Berkeley. His first book, The Hustle: One Team and Ten Lives in Black and White, was a Seattle Times bestseller and winner of the 2011 Washington State Book Prize for Biography/Memoir. He has also contributed to Slate, Wired, Men's Journal, the Seattle Times, Vice, and many other publications. Merlino lives with his wife in New York City. www.dougmerlino.net